California Lawyers for the Arts Presents the 7th Annual Artistic License Awards.

Event takes place at The William Turner Gallery Sunday, July 13, 2014 5 to 7:30 pm Bergamot Station 2525 Michigan Avenue Santa Monica, California

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, USA, June 18, 2014 /EINPresswire.com/ --  – California Lawyers for the Arts (CLA) has announced the winners of the 2014 Artistic License Awards (ALA). A celebration honoring this year’s recipients will take place at the William Turner Gallery located at Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Avenue in Santa Monica, CA 90404 on Sunday, June 13, 2014 at 5:00PM.

The organization will recognize Assembly Speaker Emeritus, John A. Pérez, The Actors’ Gang and the law firm of Fish & Richardson.

True artistic expression is demonstrated through courageous behavior that often flies in the face of conformity. People demonstrating artistic license bravely blaze new trails, opening new opportunities for others. Conceived in 2008, the Artistic License Awards proudly recognize people and organizations that have mastered their arts with a profound outcome changing the artistic landscape of their community for the better.

Alma Robinson, CLA Executive Director, said that she is thrilled that this year’s awards will go to an elected leader for his leadership in supporting the California Arts Council, a national law firm for stellar pro bono legal support of artists and inventors and an arts organization which has demonstrated exemplary service through arts programs for inmates in California state prisons:

Assembly Speaker Emeritus, John A. Pérez was selected for securing a $2 million allocation from the California Assembly operating budget for the California Arts Council. The Council was able to use the funds for a number of critically needed initiatives intended to enhance arts learning strategies, prevent juvenile delinquency and nurture local creative economies throughout California. Pérez was elected by the Assembly in March 1, 2010 as California’s 68th Speaker and was subsequently reelected in 2010 and 2012, making him one of the longest serving Speakers in the era of term limits. 

Fish & Richardson was one of the founding members of CLA’s California Inventors Assistance Program, which provides pro bono services for low and moderate-income inventors. The firm, which is one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the United States, donated more than 1,600 hours of time valued at $670,000 to 33 CLA clients during the past year. Fish is one of the most sought-after firms for both patent prosecution and patent litigation services among Fortune 100 companies.

The Actors’ Gang, led by Founding Artistic Director Tim Robbins, has been providing extraordinary theatre programs in state prisons since 2006 through their community outreach program, The Prison Project. In collaboration with other advocates and led by Director Sabra Williams, their “commedia dell'arte'” style of theatre training inspired the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to commit $2.5 million to art programs in the prisons throughout California over the next two years. As one of the recipients of the new funding, Robbins said, “We are grateful that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has recognized the deep value of the work we are doing to facilitate transformation and lower recidivism rates while saving taxpayers money.”

About California Lawyers for the Arts

California Lawyers for the Arts (CLA) empowers the creative community by providing education, representation and dispute resolution. Artists and arts organizations serve as agents of democratic involvement, innovation, and positive social change, and the growth of an empowered arts sector is essential to healthy communities. CLA’s leadership and services strengthen the arts for the benefit of communities throughout California.

For more information contact: Mike Mena at 310-316-0612 or mike@ileanainternational.com
# # #

Mike Mena
California Lawyers for the Arts
310-316-0612
email us here